


A Much Needed Conversation

by TaangyChocolate



Series: SU Relationships: Oneshots [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Gen, comfort cry, venting, venting to others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 03:10:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9415484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaangyChocolate/pseuds/TaangyChocolate
Summary: After Ruby is poofed, Sapphire is coping as she waits for her eternal flame to reform. Urged by Pearl and Amethyst, Sapphire goes to the Boardwalk to distract herself and ends up outside Fryman's.





	

(III)

Sapphire was silently sitting on the couch next to where Ruby’s Gem sat on a fluffy pillow. Steven had already gone to bed after the day’s events and his snoring was softly filling her ears. He must have been exhausted, especially after witnessing Garnet being forcefully separated and having to protect Sapphire once Ruby was quickly poofed by a spiked claw. She knew that the boy must have been tired. 

She also knew that the six corrupted Gems were safely bubbled away just as she knew that Amethyst and Pearl were about to show up to check on her. 

Peering away into the future, Sapphire saw the probable outcomes; she naturally latched onto the most probable one -- the most surprising and unexpected one -- and considered her options. Ruby taught her that there were always options. That the future was never solid, always malleable if one wished it to be. But right now Ruby was still poofed and the psychic Gem knew it would be a nearly a whole day until she reformed.

She softly picked up Ruby’s blood-colored Gem and brought it up to her lips. She hummed low in her throat, feeling the beginnings of a tear prick against her eyelashes. She clutched the Gem to her chest and tightly shut her eye. She breathed in and out, calming herself down before having to face her friends. Against her best efforts, the edges of the couch began to freeze. 

The soft whir of the Temple door opening filled her ears. She heard the near indiscernible footsteps as they approached her. Amethyst sat on her right and Pearl on her left. Sapphire willed herself to speak, “I’m fine.” 

The lanky Gem softly pulled her close until Sapphire felt her body pressed against the thin chest. Amethyst leaned against her, the younger Gem's stocky lavender arms fastened around her billowing dress. Sapphire allowed herself a sigh; their presence wasn’t as comforting as Ruby’s was, they didn’t envelop her in warmth like her fiery flame did, but it was more than enough. 

Eventually, as Sapphire saw she would, Pearl suggested that she go out for a while. The routine was always the same whenever either she or Ruby got poofed: get the intact lover out of the Temple for a while, maybe have them play with Steven for a bit, to calm their nerves. It was rare that she and Ruby were ever separate involuntarily, but each rare time stung the same. Sapphire had had to wait while Ruby reformed in the past, so she wasn’t completely frazzled, but that didn’t ease the gnaw of anxious impatience as she waited for her stocky sweetheart to reform. Sapphire floated towards the door, conscious of the other two’s worried glances aimed at her back, and stopped. She turned back to face them and put on a brave face. 

Granted, her stoic demeanor didn’t wary all too much between her moods, but if Amethyst and Pearl could decipher Garnet’s silent communication they could surely understand hers. 

Pearl looked as if she wanted to say something but Amethyst held her back, wrapping a thick arm around her slender waist. She offered a lop-sided, tentative grin, “Go have fun, Sapph. We’ll watch Rube-Cube’s Gem for ya.” Pearl nodded encouragingly, “Yes, we will. I know a few areas are open in town if you want to be near other people…” She seemed to realize what she said, “Or you can just relax outside, I know a lot of people aren’t out at this time.” 

Sapphire slowly nodded and went through the door. 

She wandered around for awhile, floating gently above the sandy ground until she reached the boardwalk. No one was around and the quiet calmed the azure Gem. She passed by the Big Donut, then the Funland Arcade and lazily observed around her as she passed the food stores. Fish-Stew Pizza was devoid of light, shut off for the night. But Fryman’s was not. The lights were off but the youngest of the family was softly leaning against the counter, looking as melancholy as Sapphire felt. She was only a few yards from him; Sapphire knew that this was the most probable future but wondered if she should pursue it. Peedee was silently crying, his shaky arms roughly planted on the counter. His eyes were squeezed shut. Neither of the two made a sound. 

Making up her mind, she forcefully tilted her head, the brush of her pale blue locks on her dress loud enough to grab the adolescent's attention. 

He jerked up, wildly wiping at his eyes before he actually noticed her. He froze, obviously taking in her non-human skintone, lack of nose and the fact that she was floating. 

With how often Garnet was gawked at by locals and tourists alike, Peedee seemed surprisingly calm about her appearance. Sapphire could appreciate that. She waited as he took another moment to compose himself, “Uh...hi. Are you one of the magic ladies Steven lives with? One of his...aunts?” Sapphire easily restrained herself from responding, her stoic demeanor never wavering. She nodded at him, deciding to be silent. She would interact with Peedee, but she didn't have to talk to him. Not yet, anyway.

Through her thick bangs she watched as Peedee observed her for another moment, obviously considering something. He turned and closed the shutters in front of the restaurant, the metallic cackles of steel and plastic ringing out into the darkness. Tentatively, Peedee glanced at her again, studying her foreign movements. Sapphire deduced that he noticed enough, because he motioned for her to follow him, asking, “Did you want to come to the pier with me? I always go there when I need to think.” 

He didn’t wait for her to respond as he slowly started on his way, muttering silently, “Or when I need to mope…”

Sapphire heard his quiet addition as she followed him, matching his speed as she floated next to him. He briefly glanced down and eyed the shadow under her form, but didn’t speak, accepting the abnormality. He had grown up alongside Steven and Ronaldo, undoubtedly he could handle weird situations without batting an eye. 

Together they walked the short distance until they were at the pier’s foundation. Peedee inhaled, feeling the salty air against his face. As the unlikely pair walked out further onto the dock, hearing the quiet thud of Peedee’s shoes against the wood, Sapphire looked out the corner of her eye at the fry-haired teen. She knew with close proximity he would feel a soft burst of her elemental powers. 

Sure enough, a few steps into their trek the flesh of his arms raised in goosebumps. He glanced at her, she shrugged apologetically. 

Quickly, the two found themselves at the end of the pier. A few boats were seen floating against the horizon, silhouetted by the milky moon. Peedee sat, his slippered feet dangling a few feet over the clear waters. Sapphire sat next to him, tucking her dress under her; an act made easy due to the puffiness of her gown. A mere foot stood in between the two as they stared out into the sea. They remained in their spots, privately thinking to themselves. Sapphire allowed herself to look into the future as thoughts and visions of Ruby flitted in and out of her mind. She shifted and sighed softly, attentive to how the gesture roused Peedee from his own thoughts.

Peedee stared at her from the corner of his eye, gently gnawing on his lower lip for a few seconds. When he spoke, Sapphire heard the subtle wavering of anxiety underneath the thick, unshed tears, “You ever feel helpless, sometimes? Like nothing you’re doing is helping but at the same time you know that, that the moment you stop trying that everything is just gonna collapse?”

Sapphire silently turned to face the blond haired boy. She didn’t need future vision to see just how much tension was bubbling near the surface, desperate to come out. He would vent in any way he could, surely Sapphire could work through her own feelings at the same time. Through her bangs she gazed at him: his scrawny shoulders were hunched over, trembling as the teen seemed to be folding in on himself, barely cognizant of her stare. Sapphire reached out and touched his shoulder, scooting closer so she could wrap her arms around him. 

A sound escaped Peedee, somewhere between a sniffle, a barking cough and a sob. The blue gem clutched him to her small frame, trying to console him as he cried. Pointedly ignoring the tears and other liquids escaping his face, Sapphire hugged him tighter, feeling his nose press into her neck. Slowly, the prickle of tears began to consume her. Thoughts swirled in her mind: of Ruby, of Garnet, of Steven, of how Garnet didn’t foresee her unfusing, of how she couldn’t prevent Ruby from being poofed, of how Steven had to protect her after she froze, of her near shattering, blocked only by Steven’s shield. 

She trembled as thick tears fell from her eye, dropping from her chin onto the human’s hair. Together, as she saw they would, the two remained in their embrace for a few minutes, taking comfort and seeking solace from their plagued thoughts. 

Eventually their tear ducts ran dry and Peedee began to lose feeling in his thighs. He shifted and she released him. Calmly, she looked at him as he wiped at his eyes and dabbed his nose with the hem of his tank top. He sniffed once more and looked back at her. Shakily, the teen took in a breath as he tried to calm himself. Sapphire grabbed his hands, forcing his gaze to her face as she started to take deep, consistent breaths, silently urging him to follow. He did just that and they breathed together, slowly calming their nerves and breaths. 

After a minute, Sapphire released his hands and waited as Peedee took the time to stare at her again. She watched his eyes track the wet trails down her face and briefly glanced into the future. She suppressed a smile but could not stop the brief upwards quirk at the corner of her lips as Peedee thought. Suddenly, the lack of information seemed to click. Dark brown eyes widened as Peedee’s hand shot to his temple. He opened his mouth to speak and she cut him off.

“No need to worry, Peedee. My name’s Sapphire.”

“Oh jeez, I forgot to,” her words seemed to sink in, “...ask your name…” He stared at her in confusion for only a moment. A light chuckle swirled in her chest but did not escape as Sapphire explained, “I have tachyon clairvoyance.” She saw his confused face, “I can see into the future.”

His brows furrowed as he thought over her words. Once again, Sapphire waited patiently, knowing what he was about to deduce. 

“Are you that -- what's her name -- Garnet lady? Y’know the real tall one, with a square afro? Steven mentioned she was fused like Stevonnie is.”

The gem nodded only stating that she was half of Garnet. Peedee stared at her and she hesitated. “Ruby is the other half of Garnet and the love of my life. We’ve been together for over five thousand years.” Her voice cracked just a bit as she continued, “She was poofed earlier today. Without Steven, she would have been shattered.” 

Her quiet voice floated over the water as Peedee listened. He hesitated and Sapphire decided to answer his unasked question. “Gems who are poofed will reform eventually. From what Connie has told me, poofing is the human equivalent to being put into a coma for a few hours. But we always come back.”

Peedee clutched at his knees and nodded, “Has she ever been poofed before?” His eyes were curious and Sapphire was glad that most of his carried stress appeared to have been cried off. She looked at him as she explained how both had been poofed in the past, but each time, regardless of how rare, still was full of as much hurt and anxiety as the first time. 

Perhaps it was her open honesty or her blunt yet stoic voice, but something in her words moved him to speak up, and Sapphire found herself listening as Peedee explained his troubles to her; his father’s offhanded comments, how he continued to subtly self-ostracize at school, alleviated only by Connie’s, and now Jeff’s, presence, his struggling sexuality, his feelings of being a disappointment. 

Sapphire noticed the continued subject of Jeff in his ranting but did not say a thing. Peedee noticed as well, and the implications only spurred him to additional frustrated ranting. 

After he had wore himself out he leaned forward, his palms comfortably bearing his weight on his thighs. He slowly breathed in and out as the blue gem watched. Finally, she chuckled. Peedee’s eyes snapped to her but she paid them no mind. “Love is a funny thing, isn’t it. I both love and hate how irrational it can be.” Peedee stuttered out noises and she turned to face the sea, moving aside her bangs in order to admire the reflection of the stars on the shimmering surface.

Her eye gazed comfortably out onto the sea, half lidded in the surprising atmosphere of content wisdom. “Of course, Ruby and I were attracted to each other quite quickly, the love didn’t come to fruition until we got to know each other more. But that’s how loving someone is; you can worry, rant and rave for as long as you want, but they’re always there to bring you back down. To bring you home.” 

Peedee blushed, “I’m not in love or even attracted to Jeff.” Sapphire tore her gaze away from the moon and tilted it in his direction, “I never specified romantic love, yet alone Jeff’s name.” At the human’s flustered expression, Sapphire’s voice softened even more, “It’s all we can do you understand our feelings, even when they confuse us.” 

Peedee softly nodded and something inside her urged her to continue. She hesitated for only a second, “The first time Garnet was formed was an accident. Ruby was one of my guards and she prevented me from being poofed. Immediately afterwards I dragged her away and we fled from our Homeworld to live on Earth.” The blond spoke up, “Everything must’ve been so confusing. You never knew what was going to happen, trying to sort out your feelings without any hope of understanding them. I bet you couldn’t really tell anyone what was happening inside, since you didn’t even understand what it was yourself.” 

He pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around the brown fabric covering his knees, “You were terrified, I know I would be.” 

Sapphire let out a little hum of affirmation as she adjusted her dress again. She waited until Peedee spoke again. “I think you should confront how you’re feeling with your wife being... poofed? Is that what you called it?” At her nod he continued, “Once you accept that everything you’re thinking is legitimate, since being afraid and uncertain is natural in your position, but everything should fall into place once everything settles.” He shot her a wry smile, “Even if what happens is terrible, and the consequences isolate and ostracize you, that can’t be worse than this horrible mess of indecision, right? Best to get it over with rather than postpone it until you develop an ulcer. No matter the consequences.”

Sapphire gave her first true smile of the night. It was more than just a slight quirk of her thick lips; it was a smile that stretched across her face. She softly chuckled and moved her bangs back to cover her eye. 

“Thank you, Peedee. I’ll try that.” 

She leaned forward and pressed her cerulean lips to his pink cheek, tasting the residue of salt from his tears. His face, originally flushed from his self-revealing monologue, blushed even deeper, the bright pink settling into a glowing crimson. Feeling calm for the first time in hours, Sapphire shifted until she was shoulder to shoulder with the cynical teen and leaned against him. 

Peedee paused for only a second, hesitating, before he wrapped his arm around her poofy sleeves. He felt the solidness of her shoulders underneath and once again reveled in the chill that naturally emitted from her as the silence emphasized the humidity he had forgotten.

Saved from the mugginess of the heat, the two stayed in their brisk bubble on the dock, saying nothing and smiling faintly as they watched the moon’s wavering reflection on the silent waves.


End file.
